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i^-^^C^yiA/MrvtJ^ Vo^ - 1905. 



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ADDRESS 



Mr. HETH LORTON, Treasurer Virginia Cincinnati, 



DELIVERED BEFORE A SPECIAL MEETING OF 



THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI 



IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA 



On December the 15TH, 1905, 



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. 



j^oTE.— At the above meeting there were present twenty-five members in person and by proxy, 
which is the largest meeting held by the Virginia Cincinnati Society 
for a period of more than one hundred years. 



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♦ 



AD D R ESS 

BY 

Mr. HETH LORTON, Treasurer' Virginia Cincinnati, 

In Richmond, Virginia, December 15TH, 1905. 

Gentlemen of the Virginia Cincinnati : 

Shortly before our last annual meeting (July 4. 1905), I found, to my deep regret, it 
would be absolutely impossible for me to attend that meeting, and I made the suggestion 
at the time to two or three of our members that an effort be made to change otlr annual 
meeting date, if possible, to a more desirable season of the year when we would be likely to 
have larger meetings than if the date was July 4, which is usually the hottest time of the 
year, and besides, a vacation season when many of our members are likely to be absent. 

It was pointed out to me that under the provision of the Original Institution we were 
compelled to hold our annual meetings on July 4th; and,' therefore, could not change the 
annual meeting date unless the Institution was amended to that effect. This led me to send 
for a copy of the Institution and make a study of its various provisions. My investigation 
led me into correspondence with all the other State Societies and some of the General 
Officers as well. The result of which, to my amazement, was the disclosure that all of 
the State Societies violated the Institution in some respects, and most of them in many 
respects, that the General Society did not follow the Institution, and that many prominent 
Cincinnati members who loudly protested against others for not following the Institution* 
were themselves most regular and persistent violators of many of the clear and distinct 
provisions of the organic laws of the Order. Thus it is that the whole Cincinnati Society 
seems to have wandered very far from first prniciples, and the true intent and meaning of 
the Founders of the Order, as expressed in the Constitution or what is known as the Institu- 
tion, and I am sure it will seem proper to you, as it does to me, that some intelligent and 
sj'Stematic effort be made to sound a note of warning at this time, and point out the patH 
which leads back to the observance of the real teaching and principles of the Institution 
and the intention of the Founders of the Order. 

What is needed in the Cincinnati Society to-day is uniformity in its government, cus- 
toms, rules and methods and a clear and distinct defining of the authority, duties, powers, 
and functions of the General Society, the General Officers and the various State Societies, 
and these things should be made so plain that each member of the whole Society will per- 
fectly understand them. The General Society itself is powerless to accomplish these results 

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for the simple reason that the Institution does not give it such authority, and all the "ordi- 
nances," "resolves," so-called "precedents" and "interpretations" of the General Societv 
cannot change or alter the organic law of the Order. In fact, it seems almost a travesty 
for the General Society or the General Officers to attempt to do such things, as the action 
of the General Society in the matters referred to is limited solely to suggestiotis to the State 
Societies and has no legal or binding effect whatever unless all the State Societies ratify 
and confirm it, and this fact is fully recognized by all the State Societies. 

Between the 14th and 25th of last November I was able to complete a series of resolu- 
tions and By-Laws, which, at the suggestion of our Vice-President and our Secretary (the 
President of the Society was abroad at that time), were sent out to the Virginia Cincinnati 
in order that you might be fully informed, in advance of this meeting, as to the matters that 
would come up. I also sent to each member a copy of the Institution, which probably 
many of our members had never seen before, and likewise a copy of my correspondence with 
each of the other State Societies. You will thus see the matters I am bringing up to-day 
have not been suddenly sprung on this meeting. As all of you are aware, I have made a 
careful and exhaustive study of the whole situation, and I have fully posted each one of our 
members, weeks in advance of this special meeting, both as to the results of my investiga- 
tions and the matters that would be brought to your attention to-day. So all of us are thus 
able to take up each of these subjects intelligently and make final disposition of them at 
this meeting. The business is important an 1 it needs prompt attention at our hands. 

As you must be aware the Virginia Society is in a weak and languishing condition. We 
have been "revived" for fifteen (15) years and admitted to full membership for nine (9) 
years and yet to-day we have but thirty-three {^2) Hereditary and one (i) Honorary mem- 
bers on our rolls out of an original membership of two hundred and seventy-nine (279) 
and over. I do not know if any of the above thirty-four (34) members of the Virginia So- 
ciety are dead. Several letters have been mailed by me to our Secretary asking for infor- 
mation on this subject, but so far I have received no response from him. I would be glad 
to have our Secretary inform this meeting on this important subject. 

The Mrginia Society seems to be drifting along in a hap-hazard, happy-go-lucky sort 
of way, and with no special and earnest effort being made to restore our Society to its former 
large and influential membership. With the infusion of some degree of system and order into 
the Virginia Society by the adoption of the proposed By-Laws and resolutions, we should, 
within a reasonable time, greatly increase our roll of members and thereby make our funds 
respectable. Surely with an original membership of two hundred and seventy-nine (279) 
and more to draw from, it is not unreasonable to expect at least one hundred (100) new 
members shortly, and that number alone would add $15,000 to our "Permanent Beneficiary 
Fund" and we would have the annual interest to use for the general purposes of the Society. 

It is doubtless true that many of the illegal customs and rules now prevailing in the 
Society generally, may be, with some modifications, desirable and advantageous changes of 



the Original Institution ; many of tliem made so by the growth and new conditions in the 
thirteen (13) original States. Such being the case, it is important that the whole subject 
should be taken up at this time in a harmonious, orderly and regular manner. The precise 
method for this procedure, happily for us, is provided for in the Institution itself where it 
savs, "each State meeting shall write annually, or oftcncr, if necessary, a circular letter to 
"the State Societies, noting whatever they may think worthy of observation, respecting the 
"good of the Society." 

This covers fully the questions of the propriety and the legality of the paper containing 
the Preambles and Resolves which I have prepared, and which, if you adopt it, will be the 
circular letter not only authorized, but directed by the Institution to be sent out. In my 
judgment this is the most feasible legal method to accomplish the much needed reforms in 
the government, customs, rules and methods of the Cincinnati Society, which will promote 
its best interests and "conduce to the general intendment of the Society," and which will 
restore the whole Society to a homogeneous body composed of "one Society of Friends" in 
the true meaning of the Founders of the Order, and as actually existed in the earlier years 
of its history. 

All of our members will agree, no doubt, that we should have proper rules and regu- 
lations for the orderly conduct of our own State Society and in accordance with the practice 
of the other State Societies under the authority of the Institution. The By-Laws that I 
have prepared are in accordance with the Institution. Some of the provisions of the Insti- 
tution, I feel all of us will admit, might be advantageously amended, but until the Institution 
is legally amended let us follow it in our By-Laws and then we can go with clean hands to 
our Sister State Societies, and, in a friendly and broad-minded spirit, ask them to unite with 
us in all proper and legitimate efforts to amend the Institution in such a way as will promote 
the welfare, the prosperity and the harmony of the whole Cincinnati Society. Some of the 
reasons for the proposed By-Laws may be briefly stated as follows : 

1. To make suitable provision for a Permanent Beneficial Fund, "in order to form 
"funds which may be respectable and assist the unfortunate," and "which shall remain for- 
"ever to the use of the State Society; the interest only of which, if necessary, to be appro- 
"priated to the relief of the unfortunate," in accordance with the Principles of the Institu- 
tion. 

2. To conform to the Original Institution, and the true meaning and intention of the 
Founders of the Order and to so continue until the Original Institution is regularly and 
legally amended by concurrent action of the various State Societies. 

3. To avoid, as far as possible, the chance of ever having the Society's affairs man- 
aged and controlled exclusively by a very few members thereof, and to the exclusion of the 
large majority of its members. 

4. To secure the active participation in the management of the Virginia Cincinnati 
Society by the largest number of its members. 



5- To obtain proper and suitable members to represent each one of the large number 
of "rights" to membership now dormant in the Virginia Society. 

6. To increase, by all proper means, the dignity, usefulness and importance of the 
Virginia Society in particular, and the Cincinnati Society in general. 

7. To stimulate and encourage the doctrines of the Institution that the Cincinnati is 
"one Society of Friends," and "the uniting in acts of brotherly affection and lionds of per- 
"petual friendship the members constituting the same." 

8. To obviate the occasion or necessity of any one member holding several important 
offices in the Cincinnati Society at any one time. 

9. To keep all the members of the Virginia Society fully informed about all the 
affairs of the Society, which includes the management, finances, membership, etc., etc. At 
present very few of our members have any knowledge whatever of these matters and this 
condition is a great detriment to the growth and prosperity of the Society. 

10. The systematic keeping and preservation of full, proper and accurate records of 
all meetings of the Society and committees thereof, together with accurate membership and 
other records as set forth in the By-Laws. 

11. To elect suitable and proper Honorary members in accordance with the provisions 
of the Institution and to the full limit as authorized therein. 

12. To enable the Society to hold its chief annual meeting at a suitable and pleasant 
season of the year when the largest number of members can conveniently attend. 

13. To cause the annual meetings to be sociably enjoyable, by providing for a banquet, 
etc., and also occasions of dignity and ceremony by arranging for semi-public meetings at 
which patriotic and instructive addresses will be made by well-known Orators and States- 
men, and to which special invitations will be issued to prominent and important people. 

14. To clearly define the rules and regulations of the Society in all important matters, 
in order to prevent confusion and misunderstanding with respect thereto, and to avoid vio- 
lations of the Institution of the Cincinnati Society, and the By-Laws of the Mrginia Society. 

And now, brother members of the Cincinnati, just a few words more about the general 
subject that has brought us together to-day. It is perhaps true that none of us heretofore 
have taken the Cincinnati Society quite seriously enough. We have been content to let 
things go as they have been going, and have not taken the time or trouble to post ourselves 
about the affairs and management of our Society. I, for one, confess it with humiliation 
and contrition. We have been satisfied to sit down with folded hands and let others interpret,' 
and very often misinterpret, the Institution of the Society. We should to-day adopt such a 
system in our affairs, as is expressed in the proposed By-Laws, which will keep each of our 
members fully informed about our State Society and thus enable our members to take the 
management of the affairs of the Virginia Society into their own hands, and not put this 
burden upon the shoulders of any one or two men. When the opposite course is pursued 
our members naturally lose that personal and individual interest which is so necessary and 

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essential to the continued growth and prosperity of our Order. Each one of us from this time 
forward should take an active, intelligent and useful interest in all the affairs of our State 
Society and conduct it in a dignified, orderly and business-like manner. 

It seems to me that we, of the Virginia Cincinnati, should earnestly endeavor to carry 
out the purpose of the Founders of the Society in making and keeping the Cincinnati an 
active force — not a half-dead, inert body as it has so often appeared in the recent past. It 
is not enough that we increase our membership, — not enough that we meet together annually 
— not enough that we contribute $25 or $50 each year to one or more needy descendants 
of original members, — not enough that we are willing, and sometimes eager to accept 
the spectacular glory of ofifice in the Society. — not enough that we are proud of having it 
known among our friends and the world at large that we are members of this old historic Mil- 
itary Order. I venture to say, Mr. Chairman and fellow members of the Virginia Cincinnati, 
these things, however praiseworthy in themselves, are not enough. We should also get in 
touch with, and keep in touch with, all of our members. Encourage them to come to the 
meetings. Impress upon them the idea of our sympathy and friendliness, collectively as "one 
Society of Friends," and individually as members of the same. "These things ye should do 
and not leave the others undone." 

The annual meetings of our Virginia Society have been melancholy and gloomy affairs. 
At times not more than six or seven present and often less than that number. The excessive 
heat prevailing at that season (July 4) causing each person to be thoroughly uncomfortable 
and heartily glad when the meeting is over. There is nothing about such meetings to inter- 
est or instruct, and surely nothing that would or could "conduce to the general intendment 
of the Society," to use the language of the Institution. I am persuaded you will agree with 
me the time has come for some suitable action on our part which will put new life and 
energy into the affairs of our Society. We need "a resurrection of the dead bones." The 
adoption of suitable methods to secure and retain the active interest of all our present and 
future members in the affairs of the Society. A return to and encouragement of the teach- 
ing of the Institution that we are indeed "one Society of Friends," holding our Chief annual 
meetings at a pleasant season of the year and making them socially enjoyable, interesting 
and instructive to ourselves and to others. 

Let us then see to it to-day that we adopt the best measures to promote the Principles 
of the Institution. It was surely never intended by the Founders for the various State 
Societies to have different laws from the Institution and from each other, as to the admis- 
sion of members, assessment dues, eagle of the Order, meeting dates, etc., etc., but to follow 
the organic law in these and other things until that lazu is legally amended by concurrent 
action of all the State Societies, zvhich is the only legal zvay by which it can be amended. 

For the good of the Society let us all imite in a broad-minded spirit to infuse into our 
Virginia Cincinnati a large degree of life and energy, proper order and system, and thus 
promote in every reasonable way the dignity and prosperity of the Cincinnati Society. 



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